PIM, PXM, Product Content Management, DAM, MDM – these terms are as confusing as they are opaque today, and many companies rightfully ask themselves: What do I actually need? In this article, we will focus on Product Content Management, describe its components in more detail, and explain in which use cases a carefully implemented Product Content Management system can bring the greatest business value.
Fundamentally, Product Content Management involves managing, maintaining, and providing both structured product data and unstructured digital content such as images, videos, and other media assets. This means that Product Content Management primarily encompasses the two software areas of Product Information Management (PIM) and Digital Asset Management (DAM).
Structured management of product data in PIM
In PIM, all product information that describes a product in detail is stored and centrally provided. This includes attributes like color, size, material, and many other features defined in the data model. The associated values describe the individual characteristics of the product – for example, the product type is a shoe, and the color of the product is black.
This information is not only important for retail partners who sell the products in their own channels but also for the D2C channels of manufacturers and brands themselves. For example, in an online shop, this information is essential to give consumers a clear picture of the product. Additionally, these data are crucial for product searches in various channels, enabling users to filter and search for products effectively.
For this to work optimally, high data quality is required. Imagine a scenario where the value range for the attribute “color” is not clearly defined, allowing for values like “navy blue,” “azure blue,” “blue,” and “midnight blue.” For consumers, this makes it more challenging to categorize product properties, which can lead to abandoned purchasing decisions, especially in a demanding e-commerce environment.
In addition to pure product data, PIM also manages product descriptions and marketing texts, which are provided for various output channels such as online shops, marketplaces, print catalogs, or social media. Modern PIM systems even often have the capability to automatically create relevant product texts using integrated AI tools based on archived texts, saving marketing teams a significant amount of time.
Managing all media assets in DAM
To attract potential customers or further increase their interest, more than just information and data are needed: product images, videos, CI elements like logos, documents, graphics, and comparison tables are examples of the ways manufacturers today can present their products as attractively as possible and optimize conversion rates across different channels.
DAM centrally stores all these media assets and provides them to the respective channels – in the format and size that are optimal for that channel. To deliver digital content as efficiently as possible and conserve internal resources, modern DAM systems often offer automated workflows such as generating the appropriate image derivatives, tagging newly imported media, or performing image editing processes like retouching.
Since creation processes often involve multiple internal and external people and tools, DAM systems are also characterized by sophisticated rights and role management and numerous native integrations with creative tools like Adobe Photoshop or InDesign.
Product Content Management – the foundation for all product communication
When looking at the entire digital value chain of product communication, it becomes clear that an optimal product experience requires both PIM and DAM. In fact, some software providers cover both areas in one system – while best-of-breed providers typically enter into technology partnerships with complementary providers to enable the most effective integration possible. The focus here is particularly on connecting product data and media assets for targeted marketing processes.
The 5 key requirements for perfect product experiences
For manufacturers, an effective go-to-market strategy is becoming increasingly important: rising costs and global competition are continually increasing the pressure. To market their products as resource-efficiently as possible while simultaneously increasing conversion rates and, therefore, sales, the following points must be implemented:
- Optimal data quality To ensure that product messages are positively received, they must be complete, consistent, and accurate – across all channels. Inadequate, inconsistent, or even contradictory information quickly leads to purchase cancellations and long-term damage to the brand. This makes data management in PIM and DAM critically important.
- Efficient processes The more automated and effective the processes in product communication are, the more time marketing professionals have for strategically important tasks, and the shorter the time-to-market for new products – a real competitive factor in many industries. Additionally, clear data processes with transparent responsibilities and data governance help ensure data quality and prevent errors.
- Focus on customer interaction In product presentation, customer expectations – whether through own channels or retail channels – are the measure of all things. Accordingly, the product content must be prepared and fully utilize all possibilities of the targeted channels. This also includes retail media measures such as enhanced content, where manufacturers can customize their product detail pages on retail channels to increase their conversion rates. All this has implications for data management, which must accommodate and support these requirements.
- Analysis of responses It is equally important to continuously measure consumer responses and the performance of products in e-commerce – sales figures, conversion rates, purchase cancellations, reviews, and page visits are key performance indicators for product marketing. E-commerce analytics tools and digital shelf analytics for retail help gather the right data and track it over time.
- Continuous optimization of product content It is, of course, equally important to translate the insights gained from channel communication analyses into optimization measures and continuously improve product communication. This enables manufacturers to build and strengthen their brand over the long term and maintain their position in the market.
Such an end-to-end view of product communication is the key to sustainable go-to-market strategies and securing real competitive advantages. However, it also requires professional expertise, particularly regarding software systems and data processes.
At Meyle+Müller Advisory, we specialize in exactly these types of use cases and are happy to support you in corresponding digitalization and optimization projects. Feel free to contact us for a free and non-binding consultation!
